Kishimoto Requiem
by Sihv
Summary: Kishimoto Masashi's dreams lay in ruins, his work taken over by those who would transform it into a horrible parody of its true potential. When his editors request something that he just cannot do, what is a mangaka to do but fight back in the only way he can; by undoing it all! - A story that examines and fixes the mistakes of the series. Naru/Harem, No Bashing.
1. Chapter 1

_**Summary: Kishimoto Masashi's dreams lay in ruins, his work taken over by those who would transform it into a horrible parody of its true potential. When his editors request something that he just cannot do, what is a mangaka to do but fight back in the only way he can; by undoing it all!**_

_**A/N: This story was inspired by Silent Magi's "The Magi's Randomness". In particular, the 137th chapter, which is the opening section of this chapter. This story will be the most bizarre form of time-travel/AU you have ever seen, starring not only Naruto but even Masashi Kishimoto, the author of the series himself, as a character.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, its plotline or its characters, in any adaptation of it. I also do not speak for Masashi Kishimoto or Shounen-Jump**_

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Chapter One: Kishimoto's Lament

An old man sat in his den looking over the pages that he was supposed to submit to the editor with a deep frown on his face. It was pure and utter drek, and he knew it. However, there was nothing he could do about it since the editors were the ones calling the shots right now. Tilting his head, he sighed heavily and pointed over to a sealed envelope on the desk by the door. "What you're looking for is over there," he stated calmly setting down the stack of pages.

Without turning around, he seemed to know when the package suddenly vanished from the desk, replaced instead by a small lotus blossom on top of a DVD. "Thank you for your hard work, I'll get that over to the animation department as soon as possible."

The silent presence didn't dissipate, causing him to let out a small, bitter chuckle. "I know you'd prefer to get back in the show, but they have plans for you." He answered bitterly, tossing her a recent volume, for it to end up impaled on the wall by a senbon a few minutes later, "I would love to have you be there for him, along with the other girls, but the editors won't let me publish it."

"Sasuke?" The presence asked quietly, for him to nod gravely as he contemplated adding a few knives of his own to the senbon. At least it was a copy and not the master, so he could destroy it however he would like. "What's next week's Uchiha worship fest?" The presence continued.

"Hell if I know, I just want to wash my hands of the whole damn thing," the man answered tersely as he rubbed his face. "Sorry, I'm just tired... forgive me. They're even misquoting me in the fandom, and that's not right."

"There is no need to forgive, we understand you are not representing us, but rather what the editors wish to see. Ninja understand how to play the part, I will leave you to your work Kishimoto-sensei," the voice answered revealing a softness he'd come to appreciate in his regular visitor.

After the presence had left, the old man ran a hand through his thinning hair and smiled warmly. Scooping up the lotus blossom he ran his thumb over a petal and chuckled lightly, looking at a faded pile of manga pages, His Naruto. "Someday Haku, someday the real story will come out."

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Masashi Kishimoto looked old, much older than his thirty-eight years would suggest. His face was haggard and covered in frown lines. Hair that was once solid black was now sprinkled with white hairs, with more turning so every month that passed in his own personal hell.

It hadn't always been like this. When he had first started out as a Mangaka (artist), he was younger, full of life and high expectations for his story, His Naruto, to become great and uttered in the same tones as the legends of manga and anime like Dragon Ball. When his great series, Naruto, was published and people started to praise it, he was ecstatic!

Then, he allowed his greed to get the better of him. He rented out his series to anime creators, who had managed to shift his series slightly from its original course, trying to make it more "kid friendly". As time progressed and his series became even more popular, he received more lucrative offers of money, in exchange for more control. In time, the rights to his work was bought out entirely by a large corporation.

Even that hadn't been too bad. While he was expected to publish on a more regular schedule and meet deadlines, he still maintained most of his artistic and narrative control. When the corporation sold his story and his contract, he wasn't worried. As such, he hadn't read the fine-print as thoroughly as he should have.

Next thing he knew, he had lost all control of the series. The contract gave complete control over content and styling to editors, with only a nod in Kishimoto's direction by allowing him to "advise" the editor on the direction... advice that was almost always ignored. Even worse, Kishimoto could not take back control of the manga or even terminate his contract, as the fines for doing so were much too steep for him to manage.

So here he rots, slaving away on a story that wasn't even close to his anymore. He ate here, slept here, and worked here, never leaving the publishing company building. He would have long since gone insane, had it not been for one simple thing.

The Manga no Shinzou.

It was the secret behind every great manga. Dragon Ball, Bleach, One Piece, or even Fairy Tail. Any story that reached popularity, did so through the assistance given by its Manga no Shinzou. It was more than a writing tool. It was a living history of the events of a series and a direct gateway to the world within. Through it, Mangaka everywhere could add detail and develop back stories filled with tension and emotion, simply by visiting the world and getting a feel for how things would truly play out in such an environment.

That part of its abilities wasn't what kept Kishimoto sane though. What kept him sane was the assistance provided by his creations. Any character that died, who would no longer come back within the series could, if the Mangaka wanted, manifest in the real world.

Such manifestations were limited, of course. Only the Mangaka and those who actually worked on the manga could see the manifested character, and the characters could not leave the building in which they manifested. If they tried to leave the building, they would evaporate into the air, returning to the Shinzou. Likewise, if anyone outside of the workforce attempted to see them or take pictures of them, they would be returned to the Shinzou.

Within those boundaries though, their help was enormous. Through characters like Haku, Hayate Gekko, and Sarutobi(s) Asuma and Hiruzen, Kishimoto was kept company. Even the foul-mouthed Tayuya took her turn, staying up with the tiring Mangaka during a particularly brutal all-nighter for a deadline. They ran errands for Masashi and even, when possible, tried to spy on the editors or edit manga pages just before publication.

They knew of his original plans for the series, and his pain that it had been warped so badly. Each had developed a bond with their creator and a shared hope for his vision. All balked under the tyranny of the editors. All cringed in horror at the hybrid, Frankenstein monstrosity the manga had become and the blatant "Uchiha Worship" that permeated all parts of the story.

Maybe one day, with the help of his co-conspirators, Kishimoto might reclaim his manga, and bring it back to its original glory.

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"Kishimoto-san. The editors require you for their weekly status update."

Kishimoto slowly looked up at the black, faceless mask of one of the editors' henchmen. He wasn't quite sure what they were, only that they were definitely not human. They moved too fluidly, spoke only in monotone, and were in sync with each other at all times. They also moved quickly and, in some cases, could fight manifested characters on nearly equal grounds... a fact that had cost them the manifestation of Zabuza nearly a year ago, when he had been enraged at the knowledge that he was to be suddenly and senselessly resurrection and enslaved at the hands of Kabuto.

Despite taking down four of them with his initial swipe, the remaining six guards on duty had fought against him, flashing around at speed that gave Zabuza a hard time and working in a disturbing amount of coordination. In less than three minutes, Zabuza's mutilated corpse was disintegrating to return to the Shinzou. Haku had been inconsolable for weeks afterwards, only returning to a semblance of her old self after Tayuya of all people had pulled her aside. They had returned minutes later, silent but functioning. They never spoke of what occurred between them.

Shaking himself from his memories, Kishimoto stood. If he delayed any longer, the editors might cut what little pay he retained. Stretching to get the kinks out of his back, the Mangaka followed the masked guard down a series of halls, each lit by dim red light, reminiscent of hell in many ways. Finally, they stopped at a door marked 'Conference Room 4' and the guard gestured Kishimoto forward.

Bracing himself for the usual starts to a meeting, Kishimoto opened the door. Immediately, his ears were assaulted by the rampant screeching that the editors always emitted when they met.

"Kyaa! Sasuke-sama is soooo cooool!"

"Cha! So much better than anyone else!"

"So handsome, so mysterious. I hope that someday I could bear hi-"

Kishimoto started coughing quickly, hoping to cut off her speech before he had to deal with the bizarre fantasies of the ten to twelve year olds sitting at the table in the middle of the room. Fangirls. The source of his pain and suffering. Worse, they were Sasuke's fangirls. When he had been sold out to this company and lost control due to the contract, he had expected rich fat men or even demons.

Instead, he found out his fate was now controlled by the fat men's' young daughters, who had badgered their fathers into purchasing his manga in order to force more time for the Uchiha survivor. Four girls, with way too much money and power behind them and not nearly enough maturity.

The youngest of the six was little Fifi Kinfukuro, age ten. She was short, even for her age, with blue eyes and obviously dyed blue hair. Fifi was the one who decided who fought whom in the manga, which mainly resulted in Sasuke getting fights that were easy. After all, Fifi didn't want her "future husband" to get injured.

Next up was Fifi's sister, Mimi Kinfukuro, age eleven. She is tall, the tallest of the group, with blue eyes and purple dyed hair. Mimi was the one who decides what new characters get brought into the manga. She made everyone who joined Sasuke competent, though not as 'cool' as her 'beloved', and everyone who would oppose him a little on the stupid side. She represented the other half of why Sasuke always came out ahead in every battle.

Third in the line of fangirls-from-hell is Matsu Kongou, also age eleven. Matus was the most "average" of the group, with black hair and onyx eyes covered by large round glasses. Matsu was the one who decided what occurs in character to character relationships. She was admittedly the one most concerned about Naruto, if only because she was a yaoi fangirl in addition to a Sasuke fangirl. Matsu prevented any romantic development between pretty much any characters, and kept Naruto obsessed with Sasuke.

Finally, there was the ringleader. Kuu Yutaka, age twelve. Strangely gothic for such a young girl, Kuu was excessively lethargic and only dressed in black, dyed her hair black, wore black contacts, and other such darkening items. She had the most control, dictating the flow of plot, deciding what occurred in each new installment of the series. It was Kuu who first turned to address Kishimoto.

"Kishimoto-sensei. How is Sasuke-sama?"

Cringing at being addressed by his "superiors", Kishimoto turned to the girl and responded "He is doing greatly, as you and the others should well know." The next to chime in was Matsu.

"Kishimoto-sensei! Kishimoto-sensei! What do you have planned for the future of our series? Come-on! You can tell us!"

_Like you actually care about my opinions, especially where it concerns __my__ series._ Careful to keep his thoughts from his expression, Kishimoto hesitantly responded "Well, I was thinking that in the next volume, Naruto can finally d-"

"Naruto! Always Naruto with you!"

"Yeah! We don't care about the dobe! We want more Sasuke!"

The dual screech from Mimi and Fifi made him wince in pain at an oncoming headache. Gritting his teeth, he continued "Well, Naruto is the main character. Maybe we shou-"

"NO!"

The shout came from all four of them this time. Without a glance in his direction, the four of them huddled together around Kuu, holding a whispered debate about something. Kishimoto's heart sank. The last time they had done something like this, Sasuke had run away to join Orochimaru. If they were doing so again, he could only fear what came up this time.

Minutes passed, with the discussion huddle becoming more and more aggravated as time goes on. Finally, after nearly half an hour of waiting, they broke apart. Kuu looked apathetic as always, Mimi and Fifi looked absolutely crazed with excitement, and Matsu look... heartbroken? His heart sank even further. If Matsu was sad, it could only mean...

"Kishimoto-sensei. We have come to a decision. One I don't really like", came from Matsu.

"Because you insist on taking up Sasuke-sama's time to focus on Naruto...", from Mimi this time.

"We are ordering you to...", squealed Fifi.

"KILL NARUTO!"

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_**Post chapter A/N: Don't worry, I won't really kill Naruto. I just needed a back reason for Kishimoto's actions next chapter. Also, get used to the "editor-fangirls", as they are going to be recurring villains.**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary: **_**Kishimoto Masashi's dreams lay in ruins, his work taken over by those who would transform it into a horrible parody of its true potential. When his editors request something that he just cannot do, what is a mangaka to do but fight back in the only way he can; by undoing it all!**_

**A/N: Sorry for the delay. Between writers block and life in general, the story was unfortunately delayed by quite a long time... But still, **_**Chapter Two is up!**_

_**Response to Anon reviews:**_

_**-To AnonWriter - I glad you like it! Just so you know, the shortness of the chapter was mainly because it was a prologue chapter. Future chapters (chapter four and beyond) will be longer, perhaps almost twice or three times as long.**_

**Disclaimer:** _**I do not own Naruto, its plotline or its characters, in any adaptation of it. I also do not speak for Masashi Kishimoto or Shounen-Jump.**_

Chapter Two: Kishimoto's Resolve

It was a testament to Kishimoto's shock at the pronouncement that he didn't speak or even resist being moved by the goons until he had already been shoved out of the meeting room, with the words "You have your orders" ringing in his ears. When the door slammed in his face, it startled him enough to regain his senses. Furiously, he hammered on the door, ready to head back inside and tell the editors where, exactly, they could shove their most recent 'order'.

Ten minutes of pounding on the door later, Kishimoto slumped to the floor, exhausted and defeated. Who was he kidding? He was contractually obligated to follow through with whatever the editors ordered. If he went against them now, he would be ruined.

Slowly, Kishimoto trekked through the hallways back to his workshop. As he went, he thought about his life. What would it have been like to have retained his freedom? Where would his series, his creative masterpiece, have gone?

Entering his room, he glanced at the ever present pile in the corner. The pile, a stack of time worn manga, held the answer to that question. Those old, worn-out manga were all that remained of the 'old' Naruto. The pilot of the series and the first twelve chapters. At first, when the series had been subtly re-adjusted away from his vision, he had continued to write them, a journal of how it _should_ have gone. Now though, his desk was representative of his true life, it's tidiness a testament to how little of _his_ ideas went to paper.

He sat down at his desk, heaving a huge sigh. How to go about killing off what little hope he had? Every part of his mind rebelled, refusing to come up with the scenario. While he was still thinking, there came a knock at the door. That could only be one person, as only one person in the entire facilty knocked anymore.

"Come in, Sarutobi."

The elderly Hokage opened the door and stepped into his office, robed in the attire of his position and smoking his ever present pipe. As usual, he walked across the room to the chair that pretty much only he used, sitting in a corner of the room near the desk. Once he settled himself, Sarutobi looked at Kishimoto, his wise and gentle gaze settling much of Masashi's nerves.

"I heard about the most recent orders."

Kishimoto flinched lightly.

"So, what do you think?"

Sarutobi sighed.

"I cannot tell you what to do. You are the author of this tale, the god of our world. Only you can truly decide what to do." the Hokage stated, before his gaze sharpened. "What I can say, is that if you follow the directive of the editors, you will likely never regain the ability to control the path it will take. If Naruto dies, they will have reason to rename the series. You know what will occur if that happens"

Kishimoto grimaced. Yes, he did know. At that point, he would also become useless. The renamed series would count as a new one and all control of the Manga no Shinzou would fall to the editor, as they would be the originators of the name. The series would morph even further from his vision and would likely die, completely, before the year was out.

"So, I definitely can't let that happen. If the editors gain control of the Manga no Shinzou..."

Suddenly, an idea struck him. It was crazy, absolutely bat-shit insane, but it would be better than letting this situation devolve further.

"Sarutobi."

The Hokage straightened unconsciously, a smile coming onto his face at the hints of steel in Kishimoto's face. Finally! The Mangaka had re-awoken from his slump! Kishimoto opened his mouth and began his instruction.

"Hurry, we don't have much time. Gather the other manifested Shinobi. Do not be seen. Go."

Not even a blink later, the Hokage vanished, moving out at great speeds. Kishimoto drew out some paper, sketching out everything he knew about the facility he resides in, including guard routes and places of importance. His mind worked at a feverish pace, coming up with, and discarding, plans at a rate that would make a Nara jealous. He would only have one shot at this. If he failed, he would likely be bankrupted and thrown in prison.

In the back of his mind, he registered the presence of the manifested nin as they began to show up. Haku, Tayuya, Kin, Hayate, Asuma, and Hiruzen. The characters who had died, either not as themselves or simply before their time. All of them had helped him through the years, keeping him at a moderate level of sanity. When all of them had gathered, Kishimoto turned briefly to Jiraiya.

"Seal the door."

Asuma, looking more serious than he ever had, immediately slapped a tag on the door. A slight shimmer and a deadening of noise told him that the room was now sealed against external intrusion. The gathered shinobi looked at the Mangaka, all waiting at attention. The silence stretched for a time before Kishimoto set down his pen. Turning, he looked at his friends and creation. At last, he spoke.

"I assume you have all heard the orders."

Receiving a number of terse, even angry nods, he continued.

"Then you know I cannot let this continue."

At this, those gathered in the room relaxed, small sighs of relief echoing in the small area. Hiruzen stepped forward.

"Our order?"

The Mangaka of Naruto spoke, bloodthirsty grins appearing on the faces of the shinobi as he went on...

**Well, that it for today. Just HAD to get this out, so I wouldn't lose what little momentum I have gained. Once again, I apologize for the delay. I am now back on this fic (as well as my other, which I will hopefully continue writing soon). Keep up the reviews. Hopefully, I will finish the third chapter by Friday and we can move on to the actual Naruto world by the end of next week.**


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